Reluctant Heroes
by WolfSpiritFlower
Summary: Loki is imprisoned after his attempts to subjugate Earth and for his crimes against the realms. When the Tesseract begins to act up, Loki is ripped through a hole in the fabric of space and time. Finding himself trapped and stranded basically defenseless in another universe, he has to learn how to survive in this world where Asgard doesn't exist. (full summary and warnings inside)
1. Chapter 1

_**To be completely honest, this was inspired by a chance meeting on a YouTube video! XD**_

_**Okay, first things first: This is an AU- quite obviously, given the nature of the story. If you like stories that stick to the exact events, then this fic is not for you. I have not seen Thor: The Dark World, so it will not be mentioned at all in this. My original idea was to continue this off of when Loki fell from the Bifrost, but then, Avengers. Also, I've never done a crossover before, so any faults or OOC'ness, please be sure to let me know!**_

_**I decided on the title of this because not only does it stay true to the SnK theme this is going to have going, but also because I feel that Loki, being so used to getting everything he wants with just a simple word and being caught in the shadow of low expectations and his brother, who was always cherished more than himself, he wouldn't WANT to be a hero, per se, he would be reluctant to give up his darkened ways to help others and become the hero he always thought he wasn't.**_

_**I apologize ahead of time for my lack of writing skills.**_

_**Rated: T **_

_**Warnings: Blood, violence, brief mentions and minor descriptions of torture, coarse language, Loki CONSTANTLY tripping- over his own feet, the air, whatever happens to be in the way- over usage of line breaks, and, of course, the usual SnK stuffs. **_

_**Genre: Horror/Hurt/Comfort**_

_**Pairings: None as of yet**_

_**Summary: Loki is imprisoned after his attempts to subjugate Earth and for his crimes against the realms. His magic has been restricted, and it can only be unlocked by proving himself ''worthy''. When the Tesseract begins to act up, Loki is ripped through a hole in the fragile fabric of space and time. Finding himself trapped and stranded basically defenseless in a different universe all together, he has to learn how to survive on this harsher, darker version of Midgard where Asgard does not even exist. But maybe, just maybe, in the process of not dying, he'll learn how to live. And keep from falling on his face. That would definitely be a good idea.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Thor/Avengers, nor do I own Shingeki no Kyojin/ Attack on Titan. All rights go to Marvel and Hajime Isayama, respectively. I also do not own the cover photo, but I know not who created the lovely thing.  
><strong>_

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><p>Tastelessly bland white walls glared from all sides. They stood tall and imposing, yet they were no larger than an average room. There was a little bit of furniture encompassed within the walls, such as a small wooden chair, a short wooden nightstand, a mirror, and a twin-sized bed. There were various books of different shapes and sizes littering the floor, all of which the binds were cracked and torn from use. Also within these walls was a lone figure. This figure has done many terrible things, which is why he is caged within them, much like a bird. Though true as it is that this figure has done many terrible things, he is not necessarily evil, unlike what many people seem to believe. This figure has a very definite appearance, and would be quite easy to locate in a crowd simply because he has such a distinct look. He has long onyx hair that is currently very tangled and messy, due to the apparent lack of combs and hairbrushes within the walls. He has emerald eyes that are filled with a sadness and hatred unlike any other- at least, not quite like any other, but he has not yet met the others who bear a similar darkness. He does not like mentioning that once his eyes were sky blue. His skin is very pale, almost like a vampire's. He is donning a black shirt and pants, and they are loose but not quite comfortable. Almost like wearing shoes that are just a bit too small, but still big enough to wear. This figure also happens to have a name. He goes by the name of Loki. Once he deigned to call himself Odinson, but he was no longer certain if he deserved to call himself such a powerful name. So, he is simply Loki. As of right now, he is reading a book that he has already read at least twenty times over. The plot is now old, and he already knows what is going to happen in the story. He feels a strange feeling deep in his mind though, and he sets the book down on the floor beside him. He has an odd feeling that something big is going to be happening today, and he just happens to be involved.<p>

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><p>There were four guards stationed around the Tesseract. After it was brought to Asgard, Odin felt that it needed to be constantly guarded so that it would not fall into the wrong hands or be used in ill will ever again. Occasionally, it would have little energy flares, and the people of Asgard would be temporarily confused as to why all their technology would function supremely better than usual. There are still many things that no one knows about it, or where all it can reach through the cosmos. It has been theorized it can reach through different dimensions and universes, and can show things that don't even exist. It is pure power, and it is uncontrollable, no matter what some may believe. Currently, it is acting up once again, only flaring more violently than before. The guards have backed away in fear, and one guard has been sent to alert Odin of the sudden unstableness.<p>

It flared brighter and brighter, and the rest of the guards were forced to flee as well. As it flares, it sends out whispers of a world overcome with grief and pain. It tells of a world that needs help, a fighting chance. To those that are close enough to hear- which is, currently, none- you can hear snippets of various voices, screaming their pain and anguish for all to hear. Some have already been said, some have yet to even been thought. Either way, it delivers a message of yearning, of waning hope, and there's one person that it has picked for the job of helping them. It's a dangerous journey, and he may not survive, but it is a risk worth taking.

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><p>Loki looked up from the book he had returned to. Something was happening right now, he could tell. He had a suspicion it had something to do with the Tesseract, if the constant pulsing in the back of his mind was anything to go by. As he set the book down once more, he stood up and walked over to where the mirror was hung. Looking into it, he was not surprised but he was concerned to see blue seeping into his irises, until it completely covered them. Quite suddenly, his head started throbbing, as if being stabbed repeatedly by a knife. He cried out as the pain started seeping throughout his entire body. Not only had his eyes faded to blue, so had his vision. He yanked at his hair, trying to make the pain stop.<p>

He was unaware that the guards had stormed in to see what was wrong. He was unaware that not just his eyes, but his entire body had begun to glow blue as well, not just his eyes. The guards had halted, unable to move out of shock. The blue light surrounding him got brighter and brighter, and the guards were forced to look away from fear of being blinded. A loud sound that could only be compared to a sonic boom reverberated throughout the room. When the guards turned back around, Loki was gone.

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><p>It felt as if every single fiber in his body was being lit on fire and being fed gasoline. It was a violent, merciless pain. Loki screamed as it felt like his body was separating from itself, but suddenly with a loud boompop/screech sound, the pain just stopped. The sudden change made his brain whirl, and his no longer blue vision faded out to black.

...

When he came back to consciousness, he was startled by seeing two children, a boy and a girl, leaning over him.

''Huh?'' he started, leaning up really quickly. His hand flew to his head, realizing too late that one should never lean up too fast. The children backed away rather quickly. He blinked a few times, then fixed the two children with a glare.

''You two, do you know where I am?'' he ground out, still rubbing his temples. The kids blinked, and then one finally stepped forward.

''You mean, you don't know?'' the little boy asked. Loki rolled his eyes.

''If I knew, why would I have asked?'' The boy looked at him apprehensively when he replied acidly.

''You're...You're in Shiganshina, Wall Maria'' Loki blinked at the response. He'd never heard of a place called Shiganshina, and why did he say Wall Maria? What does that mean? He decided to just go with it until he found out more about this place.

''Oh, yeah. Sorry. I must have bumped my head harder than I thought when I fell. Tell me, what are your names?'' Loki responded, grinning internally that he still had his way with words. The two children looked a bit more relieved now.

''My name is Eren Jaeger, and this is my sister Mikasa. What's your name?'' the boy, now known as Eren, asked. Loki raised an eyebrow. To be siblings, they looked nothing alike.

''I am Loki...Loki Laufeyson'' It took a lot of willpower not to spit Laufeyson as if it were some kind of disease. After telling his name, he took a moment to observe the two children a little more closely. The boy, Eren, had dark brown hair that was almost black. He had tealish/blue-green eyes that seemed to glow with a fierce determination and fire. The girl, Mikasa, had shoulder-length black hair and grey/black eyes. She looked absolutely nothing like her brother.

''Are you okay? I mean, if you hit your head, you should see a doctor. My dad's a doctor, I'm sure he could help you!'' Eren said, observing him the same way he'd been observing the two of them.

''Ah, such a generous offer, but I'm afraid I must decline. I'm not even entirely sure why I fell. Must've tripped over something'' he said. The two- well, actually it was mostly Eren- looked concerned, but other than that they nodded.

''If you say so. But if you need any help, just ask around where Doctor Jaeger works. He'll help you out'' Eren said, before Mikasa grabbed his arm.

''Come on, Eren. We still have to get firewood'' she said, tugging at him

''Bye, I hope you have a nice day!'' Eren called out as his sister drug him away.

Well, that was certainly an interesting way to start out his day in this strange new place. He decided to get up and look around. After paying attention to his surroundings for a bit though, he realized why they'd said Wall Maria. There were huge walls on all sides that reached taller than even Stark tower, it looked like. Why would any place need walls that tall? The walls were stone too, so it almost seemed as if the walls were there to keep something out. But what could be big enough to need a wall that size? So, after puzzling a bit, he decided to find out more about this strange place he was in.

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><p>After doing a bit of exploring and research, he was still confused and surprised. Apparently, the walls were to keep out these giant, mindless beings called Titans that fed on human flesh, not for survival but simply to do it. There was also a group of humans that went out to try and kill and research them, but the death rate was incredibly high. As he was reading more about the walls and the Titans, he heard loud bells start chiming throughout the wall. Looking around, he noticed that people were starting to move towards the bells. Deciding he wanted to know what had all these people's attention, he moved with them. He came up beside an old lady who seemed slightly distressed yet also hopeful.<p>

''Hello, my lady. If it does not bother you, what exactly is happening right now?'' he asked politely, like a true gentleman. The lady looked taken aback at first, but then smiled.

''Oh, it's just the Scouting Legion returning after their latest excursion. Nothing new ever happens, just a lot more pointless deaths. My son Moses is with them. Oh, I do hope he made it back'' she said, a mournful expression on her face. He blinked. So that's what's going on. Well, this might get interesting. As the crowd moved forward, they all finally stopped and gathered around what looked to be giant gates. He'd read about the gates; they were the only way in and out of the walls. The old lady strained her neck to view the people coming in through the gates. He supposed she was looking for her son. He was honestly indifferent to the whole situation. He didn't really care what happened to all these mortals, he just wanted to find away to get back to Asgard.

He suddenly noticed two very familiar figures on the other side of the path made for the Scouting Legion to get through. Eren and Mikasa. Eren had this huge grin on his face, while Mikasa still managed to look indifferent to everything. As he was contemplating the size of the walls and how often he would probably run into the two of them, the woman beside him moved. She looked so distressed, and then he realized she probably hadn't found her son in the crowd. He took a moment to really look at the people who'd came in through the gates. It was tragic and brutal, but it was nothing he hadn't seen before. Still though, the looks of defeat and desperation struck him. He looked towards where the woman was. He couldn't hear what she was saying that good, but whatever it is was causing the man she was speaking to sink further into a dark place. The man stood up straight and turned towards another soldier and told him something, but Loki couldn't figure out what. The other soldier nodded, then walked over to a cart and grabbed a small bundle out of it. He brought it back over and handed it to the man, who in turn handed it to the old lady. She unwrapped it, and then she collapsed to her knees. Loki couldn't tell what it was they'd handed her and wasn't sure that he wanted to know. He could tell she was speaking to him again, and then suddenly he collapsed as well. The man started yelling in despair, but Loki still could barely make out what he was saying, until he yelled the loudest.

''They all died for nothing!'' the man screamed. Loki blinked harshly. That was pretty sad, after all. Poor little mortals, unable to keep their own kind alive. They'd always been like that. Loki found himself wondering though, when did Midgard get in this shape? Was the Captain of America and the Man of Iron already dead? Why hadn't Asgard come to assist the little humans like they always do?

Loki was, once again, distracted by Eren and Mikasa. He almost laughed when he saw Eren hit a man in the back of the head with a stick. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, but Loki couldn't help but overhear the snipe comments some people were saying about the soldiers. Loki almost growled. In Asgard, to die in battle was an honor. But _these_- these people made it out as if they were the scum of the universe for trying to help them all!

He spotted the old lady being pushed around by the crowd, still out of it after finding out her son was dead. He worked his way towards her, and then gently brushed her arm. He may be a pathological liar, but he was still a gentleman.

''I am sorry for your loss, my lady. I am sure your son died honorably in battle, and is now resting in the fields of Valhalla'' she blinked up at him when he spoke, tears swimming in her eyes.

''T-thank you, young man. I must seem so pathetic right now, a feeble old lady crying for her baby. But, I just- you're not supposed to outlive your baby!'' she sobbed. He sighed sadly. Other than the outliving part, he understood her pain.

''All will be well, fair maiden, all will be well'' he told her quietly. Almost too quietly, but she still heard him. She nodded sadly.

''Would you like to come to my house, young man? Please, I must be able to give you some soup and bread'' she offered politely, but he just shook his head.

''I must decline, I would hate to intrude on your life more than I already have. Trouble seems to follow me, and I don't want you to be caught up in it.'' She nodded uncertainly, and with that he lost himself in the crowd.

He, as well as everyone else within the walls, were completely unprepared for what was about to come.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, so from now on Author's notes are probably only going to be at the bottom, along with some random trivia that I always like doing. I'm going to try and update once a week, probably either Saturday or Sunday, since I tend to have a lot of homework through the week. This is probably going to be the shortest chapter I have, but I'm not going to make any promises. Okay, thank you for reading!<strong>_

_**Random trivia: Loki's eyes are the color green, which just so happens to be the color that represents envy, one of the seven deadly sins. The literal definition of Envy is 1) a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck, or 2) desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else). He has always been envious of Thor, and desired the same love and attention that Thor received.  
><strong>_


	2. Chapter 2

Loki weaved in and out between the masses of people who seemed to just be everywhere. He mentally snorted.

_Of course, why would I expect any different? Humans reproduce at the rate of rabbits. Never mind lack of space and resources!_ he thought to himself, rolling his eyes at the pathetic beings who squabbled like wild beasts over a scrap of meat. Oh, if he only knew how accurate that statement would be in just a little while. He growled minutely when someone crashed into him and fell over.

''Hey, watch it!'' the person yelled at him, which caused him to raise an eyebrow on disbelief.

''Pardon me for saying so, but it was _you_ who ran into _me_, you peasant, so next time to decide to blunder about like a drunken bilgesnipe, consider yourself first!'' the person that had crashed into him blinked widely, obviously not expecting such a harsh rebuttal.

''Wow, who spit in your breakfast? Who are you? 'Cause, correct me if I'm wrong, Maria isn't exactly the right wall. If you're looking for the wall of Pompous Assholes, go north. I'm sure you'll find you fit in quite nicely there!'' she growled at him, and he narrowed his eyes.

_Snotty little brat! If she knew she was in the presence of a god, she would be bowing at my feet!_ he thought bitterly. The girl stood up, dusting the dirt off her pants and glared at him. He growled again, and walked closer to her at a brisk pace. Her eyes widened almost comically, and she spun and ran. He smirked, and then continued weaving through the crowd, having no clue where he was going and honestly not caring. As he weaved, he suddenly became very hyper-aware, having this strange gut feeling that something really bad was getting ready to happen.

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><p>Eren paused during his shoveling food into his mouth, swallowing and looking over at his father.<p>

''There was this strange man earlier, he'd fallen and temporarily forgot where he was. I told him if he needed any help to come to you for help. He seemed really confused. That was alright, right?'' he asked, noticing his mother had stiffened up remarkably. His father gave the lightest of nods, and Eren smiled. Then he dove back into his meal. Mikasa had already finished but was abnormally quiet. Then, without warning, she spoke.

''Eren's thinking about joining the scouts'' he gaped at her, spoon halfway to his mouth. Then, he slammed his spoon down.

''Way to keep a secret, mouth!'' he didn't have any more time to respond though, as his mother was at his side in an instant, leaning right into his face.

''Eren, get that ridiculous idea out of your head right now! No son of mine is going to be fodder!'' she yelled at him, and he glared at her.

''Stop yelling at me!''

His father suddenly stood up, announcing that he had to go.

''Grisha, wait! Scold the boy, for heaven's sake!'' she pleaded, walking over to him. Eren just watched, still angry.

''Now, why would I do that? It wouldn't sate his curiosity, it would probably make him more-so,'' he said, then looked over to Eren to continue with,

''Eren, if you're good, I'll let you in on what I've been doing in the basement. Would you like that?'' Eren nodded quickly, grinning. His anger dimming considerably, he, Mikasa, and his mother filed out of the door to say bye to his father. As he walked out of their sight, his mother suddenly looked over at him.

''Don't think this changes my mind. You're not joining the scouts'' Eren turned, his anger returning again as he responded.

''Seriously? Why is it that everyone thinks they're a joke!?'' he said as he spun around, taking off running. His mother watched in sadness, then turned to Mikasa.

''Mikasa, follow him, and promise me you'll always look out for him!'' she pleaded with her adoptive daughter. Mikasa gave a brisk nod, and then followed after Eren.

...

''Hey! Leave him alone!'' Eren yelled at the group of boys surrounding and bullying his best friend, Armin. The boys turned to look at him, and started mocking him, getting in fighting positions. Then, they noticed something coming up behind Eren.

''Oh crap, _she's_ with him! Run for the hills!''

''Get away!''

''Run!''

The boys all took off running, presumably for their lives and their pride just as Eren slowed down.

''Aw yeah, one look and they run! I'm just that terrifying!'' Eren said smugly. Mikasa rolled her eyes, as did Armin.

''Well, one of you are'' Armin said as he tried to stand up. Eren walked over and held out his hand for him.

''Hey Armin, you okay?'' Eren asked. Armin stared at his hand, but refused to take it. Instead, he forced himself to stand up on his own. Then, they started walking towards the canals together.

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><p>Loki gazed lazily over the water in the canals leading to the inner walls, having found the place earlier in the day. It gave him time to think some more than he already had. He had decided that he was in another unknown realm, because Heimdall had yet to retrieve him, and no one in this realm seemed to have ever even heard of Asgard. Point given though, even if they <em>had<em> heard of Asgard they probably would have cursed them due to the plague their lands were enduring. He had also gathered that it would probably be a long time before he got back to Asgard or wherever he would end up being, if he ever even got to leave at all. The Chitauri had been a special case, because even though the realm was unknown, they had still heard of Asgard, whereas this realm had no idea it even existed. As he was left to his thoughts, he offhandedly noticed two very familiar faces approaching the canals, along with a new face.

_These walls must be unspeakably small to have seen the same people thrice in one day,_ he thought to himself. They settled down on the docks, oblivious to his presence once again, fortunately for him. He looked over to the newest face, and worked on storing his face into his memory. He had a slim, feminine build- and, to be completely honest, Loki had thought he was, in fact, a she before he was close enough to tell the difference- and golden blond hair that hung around his face in an orderly manner. He had brilliant blue eyes as well, and his overall appearance made him think of what Steve Rogers would have been like before the super-soldier serum. His eyes were kind of clouded over, as if he'd been crying or was about to. Loki wasn't close enough to tell what they were saying, but he could tell by the way they held themselves that they were tense and frustrated. That feeling that something bad was about to happen suddenly returned, making his heart tingle and drop.

As he thought and they talked, he looked around. Suddenly, a bright orange flash of lightning came out of literally nowhere, illuminating everything within a twenty mile radius in an eerie orange/red glow. As it faded away, everyone's attention was pointing in that direction. Then, Eren got up and started running in that direction as fast as he could, Mikasa and the new boy following. Loki was cautious, a deep feeling of dread filling his chest and stomach. He followed them anyways, all the way through the town until all four of them slammed on the brakes, Loki's mind trying to process what he was seeing.

A giant, skinless hand was resting on top of the wall, and then it gripped the wall, pulling whatever it was attached to up. The giant, skinless head that appeared was quite possibly the hugest and ugliest thing any of them had ever seen before in their lives. Loki blanched, trying to force logic in his mind, but he was almost certain that even Odin would panic at seeing such a thing. Then, it reared back and judging by the explosion that followed, it kicked a hole in the walls. All the way through it and , _they're getting in!_

Everyone gaped as the giants began lumbering in through the gaping hole, and then with one scream everyone started running except Loki, who noticed that Eren and Mikasa had started running towards the direction the beasts were pouring in from. The newest face had an arm extended after them, still trying to beckon them forward. He watched until he could no longer see his friends, and then forced his arm down. Then, he too started running, to find help.

Loki was left standing, unable to process what was happening. One of the beasts was close to him now, about thirty titan paces away. Loki looked up from his position on the ground, looking at its grotesque face twisted in a yellow, sadistic grin, with long black hair covering black eyes. It was walking towards him now, and his brain finally clicked back into place as he spun on his heels, running as fast as he could to catch up with the herd of people fleeing. While his magic and abilities had been lessened considerably, he was still faster than the average Midgardian, which allowed him to catch up to them and even surpass a few of them.

_Look at yourself, a god and you're running away like a coward! _the self-scorning voice in his head told him, but then a different part of his mind, his voice of reason, pitched in to knock the darker voice off.

_Yes, you may be a god, but right now every single one of your abilities has been lessened to the point a Midgardian child could take you on if they really wanted to, and those monsters are bigger than any freak show you've ever seen!_ He rationalized, still running. All around him he could hear people crying and weeping, screaming like lost banshees. He realized most everyone was heading towards the canals.

Loki had never wanted to be in an Asgardian prison before as much as he did in that moment.

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><p>Eren ran, tears streaming down his face, hoping, praying, that the house would be fine when he turned the corner. He slammed his feet on the ground when he turned the corner though. The house was demolished, a huge rock crushing the house. He blanched.<p>

''Mom!'' he screamed, running over to the house, spotting her laying halfway underneath the rubble. She opened her eyes when she heard him, and then they widened.

''Eren...Eren, you have to get out of here!'' she yelled at him.

''I know! I know, just...Mikasa! Help me move these boards! Don't worry mom, we're gonna get you out and we can all get away together!'' he cried frantically, scratching his hands on the rubble, red rivets trailing down his fingers and out onto the wood. His mother looked at him sadly, shaking her head.

''Even if the two of you do manage to move these boards, my legs have been crushed. You have to leave me, you have to!'' she pleaded with them, _begging_ them to understand and go, no matter how much she didn't want them to. It was her job as a mother to make sure they were safe.

''We can carry you! Mikasa, try harder! We're...We're running out of time!'' he screamed, looking up and seeing one of the beasts moving towards them from afar.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of 3DMG whirring through the air, and the familiar face of Hannes appeared through the air.

''Hannes! You have to get the children out of here, you can't take that thing on!'' Eren's mother yelled at him. He just smirked.

''Nonsense, Carla, I was trained for this! I'm a professional!'' he said confidently, running over to where the titan was, only to stop right in his tracks. Looking into those eyes, one white and one yellow, it was like looking into the eyes of a demon. Spinning on his heels and running back towards the children, he scooped them up.

''I'm sorry Carla!'' he yelled, running away.

''Thank you!'' she yelled, her eyes pouring tears. As the titan was right behind her though, she called out ''Don't leave me!'' only to cover her mouth in shame as the thing picked her up.

Eren watched in horror as the beast picked his mother up in its greedy hands, pulling and bending her farther than she could go. Tears flowed from his eyes like a river as he watched its jaws snap closed, blood flying through the air and raining down like a crude, mocking crimson paint splatter. Mikasa looked away, not willing to see someone she cared about die like that. Tears flowed from her wide eyes as well, heart pounding in barely contained horror.

''No!'' Eren screamed, arm held out to grab her, reaching for her. Hannes kept running.

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><p><em><strong>Hello again my lovely readers! So, I discovered this wonderful website called 8tracks, so I actually created a sort of soundtrack for this, compiled of all the songs I listen to while writing this story. I'll have the link to the playlist in my profile for you wonderful people!<strong>_

_**Also, the playlist description has a sort of teaser for whats coming in the future. Also, I've been considering drawing the rest of the Avengers into this - though MUCH later in the story- just for the fact I want to accustom Loki so well with this world that when presented with familiar faces, it would take him a moment to recognize them. Mostly, I just want him to see Cap in all his Star Spangled glory and accidentally call him Erwin.**_

_**Random Trivia: Mikasa is also the name of a fearsome Japanese battleship, which might explain her straightforward and fearsome outlook and bravery.**_


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